Why is it important

Unfortunately, a certain percentage of children in Ukraine are born prematurely. In a number of cases, these kids’ very first minutes of life are followed by serious complications, in particular, asphyxia and, consequently, insufficient oxygen access to the brain. Such children need an exceptionally and careful treatment as the slightest slips or negligence on the part of doctors can irreparably harm them. Such mistakes can affect their whole lives.

At the moment of birth, a doctor has to rapidly decide whether to give the baby extra oxygen or not. According to specialists, under certain conditions oxygen is not that useful as it is considered to be. An overdose of oxygen is able of producing rather serious effects: brain hemorrhage, chronic lung diseases and a number of other threatening conditions resulting in a child’s lifetime ill health.

This problem is the issue that Kyiv Maternity Home #3 has to deal with almost every day. Now the equipment in the hospital’s Intensive Care allows measuring just oxygen level in a kid’s tissues. Still, under critical conditions, it is vital to know the level of other gases in the blood as well. Knowing precise indices allows to choose optimal therapy for a child and gives him or her the possibility not only to survive but also avoid severe complications and maintain good health.

Where does the money go

The People’s Project volunteer center has initiated a fundraising campaign intended to accumulate the sufficient sum for the purchase of a special medical gas analyzer for Kyiv Maternity Home #3. The device allows to get a comprehensive picture of blood gases instantly and with no excessive invasions. A doctor armed with such a device can promptly make the most carefully considered decision even under critical conditions.

The gas analyzer allows:

- To check up blood gases level even before the baby is born, amid the very act of labor. This allows optimize the process of delivery and start therapy before the baby is born, and to begin resuscitation if necessary. The earlier treatment starts, the higher the chances for a successful outcome of the childbirth, with no negative consequences for a baby even in the case of a problematic delivery, are;

– To avoid excessive traumatic injections and taking blood for testing, as this mini-invasive apparatus is just imposed directly on the skin of a child. Sometimes, the weight of newborn babies varies within 500–600g which makes conventional injections an exceptionally painful and rather complicated procedure for them;

– To choose optimum proportions of medications and to correct pharmacotherapy in strict accordance with blood gases indices swings. This allows to avoid excess medication use as well as to lessen the number of additional procedures.

Unfortunately, buying costly medical equipment for children born before term mostly remains the prerogative of charity foundations. Mainly, hospitals just cannot afford to purchase this essential device. Its cost makes 225 thousand hryvnias. That is why we decided to take on the effort, and as usual, to rely on your sympathetic participation and valuable assistance. There are no someone else’s kids, you know, as each child makes an integral part of our mutual future. Together we can effectively get that money and give a chance for life and a secure healthy childhood to hundreds of little Ukrainians. Dear friends, please don’t hesitate to join in!

15:1318December2018

Project budget increased by UAH 1 511. While planning the project, the cost of appliances and materials was calculated with a small margin for possible currency rate fluctuations.